Coal Geology of China

’Coal’ and ’China’ to some extent have become synonymous. China is by far the largest user of coal in the world. In 2016, coal production in China amounted to 3.21 billion tons, about half of the total global coal production. Coal consumption accounts for more than 65% of primary energy consumption in China. The Chinese coal industry greatly contributes to the economic development in China, the second largest economy in the world. However, periodically, ubiquitous images of smog blanketing major Chinese cities are viewed all over the world. Coal combustion is one of the important contributors to smog, which is considered to be a major environmental and human health problem for China and other countries. News stories also highlight the periodic coal mine disasters that kill hundreds of Chinese coal miners annually. The need to address these and other human health, environmental, and mine safety issues and to maximize resource recovery and use justifies a vigorous coal research effort. This book brings together experts on almost every aspect of coal geology, coal production, composition and use of the coal and its by-products, and coal’s environmental and human health impacts.

The chapters in this book were originally published in a special issue of the International Geology Review.

Shifeng Dai is a Professor at the China University of Mining and Technology, China. His research fields include coal geology and coal geochemistry. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Coal Geology, the Chief Scientist of the National Key Basic Research Program of China, Changjiang Scholar Professor of Ministry of Education (China) and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China.

Robert B. Finkelman retired in 2005 after 32 years with the U.S. Geological Survey. He is currently a Research Professor in the Geosciences Department at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA, and an Adjunct Professor at the China University of Geosciences (Beijing). He is an internationally recognized scientist widely known for his work on coal chemistry and as a leader of the emerging field of Medical Geology.